diff --git a/apps/dav/lib/AppInfo/Application.php b/apps/dav/lib/AppInfo/Application.php
index 102a6c1306d60..18b0bb017f551 100644
--- a/apps/dav/lib/AppInfo/Application.php
+++ b/apps/dav/lib/AppInfo/Application.php
@@ -22,7 +22,6 @@
 
 use OCA\DAV\Capabilities;
 use OCA\DAV\CardDAV\ContactsManager;
-use OCA\DAV\CardDAV\PhotoCache;
 use OCA\DAV\CardDAV\SyncService;
 use OCA\DAV\Events\AddressBookCreatedEvent;
 use OCA\DAV\Events\AddressBookDeletedEvent;
@@ -103,12 +102,6 @@ public function __construct() {
 
 	public function register(IRegistrationContext $context): void {
 		$context->registerServiceAlias('CardDAVSyncService', SyncService::class);
-		$context->registerService(PhotoCache::class, function (ContainerInterface $c) {
-			return new PhotoCache(
-				$c->get(IAppDataFactory::class)->get('dav-photocache'),
-				$c->get(LoggerInterface::class)
-			);
-		});
 		$context->registerService(AppCalendarPlugin::class, function (ContainerInterface $c) {
 			return new AppCalendarPlugin(
 				$c->get(ICalendarManager::class),
diff --git a/apps/dav/lib/CardDAV/PhotoCache.php b/apps/dav/lib/CardDAV/PhotoCache.php
index 83b5f417896ba..f1b2857d4ce04 100644
--- a/apps/dav/lib/CardDAV/PhotoCache.php
+++ b/apps/dav/lib/CardDAV/PhotoCache.php
@@ -4,8 +4,10 @@
  * SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2016 Nextcloud GmbH and Nextcloud contributors
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
  */
+
 namespace OCA\DAV\CardDAV;
 
+use OCP\Files\AppData\IAppDataFactory;
 use OCP\Files\IAppData;
 use OCP\Files\NotFoundException;
 use OCP\Files\NotPermittedException;
@@ -19,6 +21,7 @@
 use Sabre\VObject\Reader;
 
 class PhotoCache {
+	private ?IAppData $photoCacheAppData = null;
 
 	/** @var array */
 	public const ALLOWED_CONTENT_TYPES = [
@@ -142,13 +145,12 @@ private function getFile(ISimpleFolder $folder, $size): ISimpleFile {
 	private function getFolder(int $addressBookId, string $cardUri, bool $createIfNotExists = true): ISimpleFolder {
 		$hash = md5($addressBookId . ' ' . $cardUri);
 		try {
-			return $this->appData->getFolder($hash);
+			return $this->getPhotoCacheAppData()->getFolder($hash);
 		} catch (NotFoundException $e) {
 			if ($createIfNotExists) {
-				return $this->appData->newFolder($hash);
-			} else {
-				throw $e;
+				return $this->getPhotoCacheAppData()->newFolder($hash);
 			}
+			throw $e;
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -265,4 +267,11 @@ public function delete($addressBookId, $cardUri) {
 			// that's OK, nothing to do
 		}
 	}
+
+	private function getPhotoCacheAppData(): IAppData {
+		if ($this->photoCacheAppData === null) {
+			$this->photoCacheAppData = $this->appDataFactory->get('dav-photocache');
+		}
+		return $this->photoCacheAppData;
+	}
 }
diff --git a/apps/dav/lib/Command/ClearContactsPhotoCache.php b/apps/dav/lib/Command/ClearContactsPhotoCache.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..82e64c3145a63
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/dav/lib/Command/ClearContactsPhotoCache.php
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+<?php
+
+declare(strict_types=1);
+
+/**
+ * SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2025 Nextcloud GmbH and Nextcloud contributors
+ * SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
+ */
+
+namespace OCA\DAV\Command;
+
+use OCP\Files\AppData\IAppDataFactory;
+use OCP\Files\NotPermittedException;
+use Symfony\Component\Console\Attribute\AsCommand;
+use Symfony\Component\Console\Command\Command;
+use Symfony\Component\Console\Helper\ProgressBar;
+use Symfony\Component\Console\Helper\QuestionHelper;
+use Symfony\Component\Console\Input\InputInterface;
+use Symfony\Component\Console\Output\OutputInterface;
+use Symfony\Component\Console\Question\ConfirmationQuestion;
+
+#[AsCommand(
+	name: 'dav:clear-contacts-photo-cache',
+	description: 'Clear cached contact photos',
+	hidden: false,
+)]
+class ClearContactsPhotoCache extends Command {
+
+	public function __construct(
+		private IAppDataFactory $appDataFactory,
+	) {
+		parent::__construct();
+	}
+
+	protected function execute(InputInterface $input, OutputInterface $output): int {
+		$photoCacheAppData = $this->appDataFactory->get('dav-photocache');
+
+		$folders = $photoCacheAppData->getDirectoryListing();
+		$countFolders = count($folders);
+
+		if ($countFolders === 0) {
+			$output->writeln('No cached contact photos found.');
+			return self::SUCCESS;
+		}
+
+		$output->writeln('Found ' . count($folders) . ' cached contact photos.');
+
+		/** @var QuestionHelper $helper */
+		$helper = $this->getHelper('question');
+		$question = new ConfirmationQuestion('Please confirm to clear the contacts photo cache [y/n] ', true);
+
+		if ($helper->ask($input, $output, $question) === false) {
+			$output->writeln('Clearing the contacts photo cache aborted.');
+			return self::SUCCESS;
+		}
+
+		$progressBar = new ProgressBar($output, $countFolders);
+		$progressBar->start();
+
+		foreach ($folders as $folder) {
+			try {
+				$folder->delete();
+			} catch (NotPermittedException) {
+			}
+			$progressBar->advance();
+		}
+
+		$progressBar->finish();
+
+		$output->writeln('');
+		$output->writeln('Contacts photo cache cleared.');
+
+		return self::SUCCESS;
+	}
+}
diff --git a/lib/private/Repair.php b/lib/private/Repair.php
index 501b9b1300fcc..231532d8be753 100644
--- a/lib/private/Repair.php
+++ b/lib/private/Repair.php
@@ -170,7 +170,7 @@ public static function getRepairSteps(): array {
 			\OCP\Server::get(ClearGeneratedAvatarCache::class),
 			new AddPreviewBackgroundCleanupJob(\OC::$server->getJobList()),
 			new AddCleanupUpdaterBackupsJob(\OC::$server->getJobList()),
-			new CleanupCardDAVPhotoCache(\OC::$server->getConfig(), \OC::$server->getAppDataDir('dav-photocache'), \OC::$server->get(LoggerInterface::class)),
+			new CleanupCardDAVPhotoCache(\OC::$server->getConfig(), \OCP\Server::get(IAppDataFactory::class), \OC::$server->get(LoggerInterface::class)),
 			new AddClenupLoginFlowV2BackgroundJob(\OC::$server->getJobList()),
 			new RemoveLinkShares(\OC::$server->getDatabaseConnection(), \OC::$server->getConfig(), \OC::$server->getGroupManager(), \OC::$server->get(INotificationManager::class), \OCP\Server::get(ITimeFactory::class)),
 			new ClearCollectionsAccessCache(\OC::$server->getConfig(), \OCP\Server::get(IManager::class)),
diff --git a/lib/private/Repair/NC16/CleanupCardDAVPhotoCache.php b/lib/private/Repair/NC16/CleanupCardDAVPhotoCache.php
index a9cbbb4cbbf55..646dd2c5e83e7 100644
--- a/lib/private/Repair/NC16/CleanupCardDAVPhotoCache.php
+++ b/lib/private/Repair/NC16/CleanupCardDAVPhotoCache.php
@@ -6,9 +6,10 @@
  * SPDX-FileCopyrightText: 2019 Nextcloud GmbH and Nextcloud contributors
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-or-later
  */
+
 namespace OC\Repair\NC16;
 
-use OCP\Files\IAppData;
+use OCP\Files\AppData\IAppDataFactory;
 use OCP\Files\NotFoundException;
 use OCP\Files\SimpleFS\ISimpleFolder;
 use OCP\IConfig;
@@ -27,18 +28,11 @@
  * photo could be returned for this vcard. These invalid files are removed by this migration step.
  */
 class CleanupCardDAVPhotoCache implements IRepairStep {
-	/** @var IConfig */
-	private $config;
-
-	/** @var IAppData */
-	private $appData;
-
-	private LoggerInterface $logger;
-
-	public function __construct(IConfig $config, IAppData $appData, LoggerInterface $logger) {
-		$this->config = $config;
-		$this->appData = $appData;
-		$this->logger = $logger;
+	public function __construct(
+		private IConfig $config,
+		private IAppDataFactory $appDataFactory,
+		private LoggerInterface $logger,
+	) {
 	}
 
 	public function getName(): string {
@@ -46,8 +40,10 @@ public function getName(): string {
 	}
 
 	private function repair(IOutput $output): void {
+		$photoCacheAppData = $this->appDataFactory->get('dav-photocache');
+
 		try {
-			$folders = $this->appData->getDirectoryListing();
+			$folders = $photoCacheAppData->getDirectoryListing();
 		} catch (NotFoundException $e) {
 			return;
 		} catch (RuntimeException $e) {